Device for adjusting backswing arm positions of a golf player

ABSTRACT

A device used to assist in finding desired backswing arm positions of a golf player, thus contributing to correction of a full swing form. This device is designed with the shape of a wrist watch and can be worn on a wrist by a player while he is practicing his backswings with a golf club in his hands. This device comprises a casing which includes a rotatable inner member having an index mark thereon, a stationary outer member having a scale therearound, and a sound making element of ball form arranged to freely roll in and along an inside guide member of channel form so that the sound making element is moved along the guide member, when the latter is inclined, so as to strike the inner wall surface of the casing and make a sound of impact. By this arrangement, it is possible for the player to preset a position of the rotatable inner member with the index mark pointing to a calibration mark on the scale that suits a desired backswing position and causes the sound making element to strike the casing inner wall so as to make a sound of impact, thus letting him know when his backswing position is as desired.

United States Patent Yamada [4 1 Jan. 14, 1975 DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING BACKSWING ARM POSITIONS OF A GOLF PLAYER Nobuo Yamada, 1-13, Imagawa-chome, Tokyo, Japan Filed: May 15, 1974 Appl. N0.: 470,318

US. Cl. 273/183 B, 116/120 Int. Cl A63b 69/36 Field of Search 273/186, 183, 194, 193; 116/120; 273/54 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1936 Harrison 273/183 B 2/1940 Roberts 273/183 B Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Spensley, Horn and Lubitz [57] ABSTRACT A device used to assist in finding desired backswing arm positions of a golf player, thus contributing to correction of a full swing form. This device is designed with the shape of a wrist watch and can be worn on a wrist by a player while he is practicing his backswings with a golf club in his hands. This device comprises a casing which includes a rotatable inner member having an index mark thereon, a stationary outer member having a scale therearound, and a sound making element of ball form arranged to freely roll in and along an inside guide member of channel form so that the sound making element is moved along the guide member, when the latter is inclined, so as to strike the inner wall surface of the casing and make a sound of impact. By this arrangement, it is possible for the player to preset a position of the rotatable inner member with the index mark pointing to a calibration mark on the scale that suits a desired backswing position and causes the sound making element to strike the casing inner wall so as to make a sound of impact,

thus letting him know when his backswing position is as desired.

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Sam 1 or 2 PATENTEBJAH 1 M975 7 FIG..2

IFIG.4

FIG. 5 I20 I50 ,20 I30 DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING BACKSWING ARM POSITIONS OF A GOLF PLAYER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to golf accessories, and particularly to a device to assist in finding a proper backswing arm position the thus to correct a golf club swing form of a player during practice swings.

In the practice of swinging a golf club for driving a golf ball for either tee-shots or any shots on or off the fairway, the first requirement for a golf player is to grip a golf club in his hands and position or ground the head thereof in the ball hitting area behind a golf ball with the impact face of the club toward the ball. This is known as addressing the ball for preparatory movements and keeping time for a good ball driving action. During this addressing, both arms of the player holding the club stretch out generally aslant downward toward the ground. Next, when swinging up the club away from the golf ball, which is known as a backswing, the player is required to upswing the club toward a high right position over his head with his left shoulder and upper body winding up in co-ordinated motion to assist this upswing motion and finally to assume a position where his right arm holding the club is orientated in a generally upright direction, which is known as the top position of a backswing.

In this state, there is a general tendency for normal golf players either to swing the club down toward the ball on the tee untimely or too early before he assumes the proper top position of the backswing or to swing the club excessively overhead past the proper backswing posture, overstraining himself to make a beautiful long shot beyond his normal capability, thus resulting in an improper swing form. This might well lead to a misshot or a missed shot in driving a golf ball, either for a teeshot or any shot on or off the fairway other than putting on the green.

It is to be noted that the above description and further description hereinafter on the club swinging actions or postures are generally made for a right-handed golf player, and also that such description will be the other way around in the indication of the sides or directions, e.g., right should be read left, and viceversa, when applied to a left-handed player.

This invention is essentially intended for correction or improvement of a golf players improper swing form in a backswing motion as typically mentioned hereinbefore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of this invention to provide a device to assist in adjusting the backswing arm position of a golf player so as to correct or improve his improper overhead or nearly overhead backswing from in driving a golf ball, either for a tee-shot or for any shots on or off the fairway.

It is another object of this invention to provide a de vice to assist in adjusting the backswing arm position of a golf player, which device may be held on a wrist of a golf player, normally on the right wrist for a righthanded player, and which is designed to produce a sound of impact when the club is in a desired overhead or top position in his backswing motion, whereby he may know when it is in the desired top position.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device to assist in adjusting a backswing arm position which enables a golf player to optionally select a desired top position of his backswing motion, irrespective of the difference in swing forms or manners specific to individual players and the size of a swing arc and regardless of the characters of the clubs, etc..

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device to assist in adjusting a backswing arm position, which may also be applied, for judgement of the extent of bending or cocking of the wrist ofa player by putting it on the right handback of a player.

Furthermore, the backswing position adjusting device according to this invention may also be used versatilely for a left-handed player by putting it on his left wrist and setting the dial thereof and reading the indication thereon in the direction reverse to that in the case of a right-handed player.

These objects, as well as the other features and advantages of the present invention, will be better appreciated from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device taken along y the plane designated by line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second example of the device of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 4 taken along the plane designated by line V-V therein;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing only the cap member for use within the device shown in FIGS. {4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a third example of the device of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 7 taken along the plane designated by line VIII-VIII therein; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an elongated cross member for guiding an impact element for use within the device shown in FIG. 7. v

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS drical form made of a material such as a synthetic resin,

and a cap member 4 of an inverted cup shape made of, for example, a metal.

On the inner surface of an upstanding peripheral .wall 5 of the carrier member 3, there is provided an annular guide projection 6, while in the outer surface of a pcripheral wall of the cap member 4, there is formed an annular groove 7 with which the annular projection 6 slidably engages. Accordingly, the cap member 4 is manually rotatable back and forth, as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. 2, inside the carrier member 3 by the guiding function of the annular guide projection 6. Since the cap member 4 is in a certain frictional contact with the carrier member 3, the cap member 4 can be retained in any desired position in the carrier membeer 3 as preset by manual rotation thereof.

The carrier member 3 is provided with a pair of lugs 8 for receiving a strap 2, and also in the vicinity of the circumferential portion of the top plate of the cap member 4, there is provided an index mark 9. In the top surface of the upstanding peripheral wall of the carrier member 3, there is provided a notched scale 10 for reading a predetermined position of the index mark 9. By reading the indication of the index mark 9 on this scale 10, it is possible to know a relative rotating position of the cap member 4 with respect to the carrier member 3.

Inside the top wall of the cap member 4, there is a guide member 12 for an impact sound maker disposed in a diametral direction of the cap member 4. This guide member 12 is, for instance, made of a synthetic resin, having a guiding groove 13 therewithin extending in the diametral direction of the cap member 4. Between the guide member 12 and the bottom wall of the carrier member 3, there is an impact sound maker or striker assembly 15 disposed movable in the diametral direction. This striker assembly 15 comprises a pair of balls 17 supported in opposed perpendicular relation with each other on a striking element 16 to the radial plane of the casing assembly A, the upper ball 17 rollably engaging the guiding groove 13 of the guide member 12.

The guiding groove 13 is adapted to guide one of the balls 17 therealong in the lengthwise direction, and when the entire casing assembly A is caused to be inclined in the lengthwise direction of the guide member 12, thus providing an inclined path, the pair of balls 17 together with the striking element 16 moves in and along the guide member 12. At the end of this guided movement the striking element 16 produces a sound of impact when it hits against the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the cap member 4.

Next, the operation of the above-described first example of the backswing position adjusting device ac cording to this invention will be further described.

When applying this device in club swing or golf ball driving practice, the backswing position adjusting device is secured to the players right wrist as indicated in FIG. 1, and the cap member 4 within the carrier memher 3 is manually rotated to an extent that corresponds to a desired backswing position of the club which has been found beforehand by individual players so that the index mark 9 may be set at-a desired point on the scale 10 for reading by the player. Thereafter a club swing motion is started.

When the arms of the player are in the address position wherein the arms extend generally downward toward the ground, the striker assembly 15 rests in the position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. With the device in the position, since the guide member 12 is generally horizontal with respect to the ground, the striker assembly 15 remains stationary in the original position in the guiding groove 13 as in the leftmost position as viewed in FIG. 3.

When the player begins a backswing motion, and as I the players arms rise up higher toward a desired top position of the backswing, the guide member 12 begins to be inclined with respect to the horizontal, and when the arms reach the desired top position so predetermined by setting the index mark 9 on the scale 10 as described hereinbefore, the striker assembly 15, overcoming the frictional force rendered thereupon, moves along the guiding groove 13 toward the lowest position in FIG. 2 (i.e., the rightmost position as viewed in FIG. 3) due to the gravity or weight of the striker assembly 15 so as to hit the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the cap member 4.

If this cap member 4 and the impact element 16 are made of a hard material such as a metal, respectively, there will be produced a clear impact sound or click at the instant of impact, thus letting the player known when his club upswung overhead reaches as the desired top position so predetermined as mentioned above. Accordingly, if he takes a downswing motion immediately after this impact sound is heard, he will be now assured of a good full swing action, and, therefore, a proper shot in the golf play.

In FIGS. 4 through 6, there is shown a second example of the backswing position adjusting device of this invention, in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals with a subscript letter a added to those of the first embodiment. According to this example, a cap member 4a which is rotatably snapped into the inner surface of the peripheral wall 5a of a carrier member 3a is likewise of an inverted cup shape, and a guide member 12a for guiding a sound maker or strik'er 15a in a diametral direction of a casing assembly A, is provided in the center of a top wall 20 of the cap member 4a in such manner that the guide member 12a projects upwardly out of the radial plane of the entire casing assembly A,. The guide member 12a includes a guiding groove 13a in the interior thereof, the guiding groove 13a communicating with the space inside the cap member 4a. Further, the striker 15a is rollably inserted between the guiding groove 13a and the bottom wall of the carrier member 3a so that the striker 15a may contact with the latter. In this example, the striker 15a comprises but a single ball, but it may, of course, be of another type of striking means. In addition, there are an index mark 9a and a scale 10a located on the lateral side of left half of the casing assembly A, as viewed in FIG. 4.

In operation, as in the case of the first example described hereinbefore, the device of this example also operates to produce a sound of impact, as the device is worn on the right wrist of a player and displaced to a generally upright position of the right wrist when the club is upswung in a desired top position of a backswing, whereby the striker 15a is caused to hit the peripheral wall of the cap member 4a..

In a third example of the device of this invention as shown in FIGS. 7 through 9, wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals'with a subscript letcarrier member 3b, as shown in FIG. 8, be led to be embedded in apertures 22 provided in the peripheral wall of the cap member 4b. On the other hand, in the space inside between the carrier member 3b and the cap member 4b, there is provided a guide member 12b which is made of a material such as a synthetic resin.

The guide member 12b for guiding a sound maker or striker assembly 15b is, as shown in FIG. 9, comprises a gutter-like body including a pair of rails or shoulder 31 on the lateral or longitudinal sides of a bottom wall 30 thereof, a guiding groove 13b being formed between the pair of shoulders 31. On one end, or the upper right end as viewed in FIG. 9, of the gutter-like body, there is provided a projection 32 extending upwardly through the top wall of the cap member 4b when assembled therewith, while on the opposite end of the body, there is provided a projection 34 on a bridge piece 33 disposed across the top portion of the both lateral sides of the body. The former projection 32 has a pointed free end as an index point 9b.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the top plane of the cap member 4b there are provided a pair of guide slots 36 and 37 of arcuate configuration, which are disposed opposedly in a diametral direction, one slot 36 being adapted to receive the abovementioned upstanding projection 32 so that it may move along the arcuate slot 36, and the other slot 37 adapted to receive the other projection 34 therethrough, likewise permitting the projection 34 to move therealong. Consequently, the guide member 12b for the striker assembly 15b is thus manually rotatable as a unit in two directions along the slots 36 and 37 through the cooperative engagement between the slots 36, 37 and the projections 32, 34. Incidentally, in the illustrated embodiment, the pointed free end of the upstanding projection 32 is bent at right angles so as to become parallel to the top wall of the cap member 4b after being assembled into the slot 36 so that it forms the index mark 9b for indication on the scale 10b provided along the inner circumference of the slot 36 on thetop wall of the cap member 4b.

A striker assembly b is inserted into the interior'of the guide member 12b so that it may move rollingly in and along a guiding groove 13b therein, the striker assembly 15b comprising a single ball 17b and a strinking element 16b for rollably receiving the ball 17b therein. On the other hand, the under surface of the striker element 166 is set in contact with the upper surfaces of the above-mentioned pair of shoulders 31 so that the strinking element 16b may move slidingly along the shoulders 31.

The operation of this example is similar to those of the foregoing two examples described hereinbefore. That is, when the players arms are in the address position, the striker assembly 15b remains in the original position or the leftmost position as viewed in FIG. 8, and when the player upswings the club into the top position of his backswing motion, the striker assembly 15b quickly shifts to the rightmost position as viewed in FIG. 8, thereby hitting the inner peripheral wall of the cap member 4b and producing a sound of impact at the instant of hitting by the striking element 16b. As in the foregoing examples, adjustment of a desired backswing position which is rather delicate to locate may be performed by optionally displacing the index mark 9b along the scale 10b.

Furthermore, as an additional effect and function of the backswing position adjusting device of this invention, in any embodiment thereof, this device can produce a second sound of impact in the finish position of a full swing which is likely to be determined by the extent of a follow-through which is normally proportional to the extent of a backswing.

As described hereinabove, there is provided a unique and useful device according to this invention, which is adapted to effectively and properly assist in adjusting a backswing position, thus improving a full swing form through a presetting of the top dial of this device instead of individual and personal impressions of a professional coach or a player which sometimes may be difficult to follow or which may result in the player being mistakenly self satisfied.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for adjusting backswing arm positions for use by golf players which comprises: a casing assembly including a peripheral wall, a bottom'wall and a top wall; means for holding said casing on a wrist of a players arm; elongated cross guide means arranged rotatably along said bottom wall in the interior of said casing assembly; and striking means disposed freely movable in the lengthwise direction from one end to the opposite end of said guide means and adapted to strike said peripheral wall of said casing assembly at said opposite end of said guide means thereby to produce a sound of impact.

- 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall and cap defining said top wall supported rotatably with respect to said carrier member, and said guide means is secured to the inside of said top wall of said cap member.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said elongated cross guide means comprises a channel.

member, and said striking means comprises ball means and a striking element adapted to receive said ball means thereon.

4. The device as claimed in claim 2 further including an index mark on the top surface of said cap member and a scale adapted to indicatea predetermined position of said index mark.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall, a cap member definingsaid top wall and supported rotatably by and with respect to said carrier member, said elongated cross guide means being constructed integrallywith said top wall of said carrier member.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said striking means comprises a single ball.

,7. The device as claimed in claim 5 further including an index mark on said cap member and a scale adapted to ilrgdicate 2 predetermined position of said index mar 8. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall and a cap member defining said top wall and supported rigidly by said carrier member, said guide means being carried rotatably by and with respect to said carrier member.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 further including a slot of arcuate configuration in said top wall of said cap member tracing the rotating locus of one projection disposed at one end of said guide means, an index mark provided at said one end of said guide means extending through said slot for rotating motion therealong, and a scale provided along said slot in said top wall of said cap member.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said striking means comprises a ball and a striking element receiving said ball therein. 

1. A device for adjusting backswing arm positions for use by golf players which comprises: a casing assembly including a peripheral wall, a bottom wall and a top wall; means for holding said casing on a wrist of a player''s arm; elongated cross guide means arranged rotatably along said bottom wall in the interior of said casing assembly; and striking means disposed freely movable in the lengthwise direction from one end to the opposite end of said guide means and adapted to strike said peripheral wall of said casing assembly at said oppositE end of said guide means thereby to produce a sound of impact.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall and cap defining said top wall supported rotatably with respect to said carrier member, and said guide means is secured to the inside of said top wall of said cap member.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said elongated cross guide means comprises a channel member, and said striking means comprises ball means and a striking element adapted to receive said ball means thereon.
 4. The device as claimed in claim 2 further including an index mark on the top surface of said cap member and a scale adapted to indicate a predetermined position of said index mark.
 5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall, a cap member defining said top wall and supported rotatably by and with respect to said carrier member, said elongated cross guide means being constructed integrally with said top wall of said carrier member.
 6. The device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said striking means comprises a single ball.
 7. The device as claimed in claim 5 further including an index mark on said cap member and a scale adapted to indicate 2 predetermined position of said index mark.
 8. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said casing assembly comprises a carrier member defining said bottom wall and a cap member defining said top wall and supported rigidly by said carrier member, said guide means being carried rotatably by and with respect to said carrier member.
 9. The device as claimed in claim 8 further including a slot of arcuate configuration in said top wall of said cap member tracing the rotating locus of one projection disposed at one end of said guide means, an index mark provided at said one end of said guide means extending through said slot for rotating motion therealong, and a scale provided along said slot in said top wall of said cap member.
 10. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein said striking means comprises a ball and a striking element receiving said ball therein. 